Page 20 of Built of Flames

His firm reply had Bella turning her head, and Mitch’s eyes captured hers.

His lips quirked in a wry smile. “Hope I’m not crossing any lines here. Feel free to kick my ass if I am.”

And then he leaned in slowly enough for her to evade if she wanted. Instead, Bella lifted her head and closed the distance.

Mitch lifted his hand to cup her head softly as he leaned in to brush his lips over hers. Gentle as the breeze, but sparks zipped through her at the intimate contact.

He brushed their lips together again and again. She felt his lips smile, and then he kissed one side of her mouth and the other. “Okay?”

Bella hummed her approval, and then he leaned in and kissed her properly.

Power flamed through her as she opened for him and their tongues danced and dueled. Heat built, and she leaned in to place her hands on his chest. His heart raced beneath her fingers and she enjoyed the play of his muscles under her touch.

By the time they broke apart, her own heart was racing out of control. He rested his forehead on hers and they both breathed. “Still okay?”

Bella laughed. “Definitely okay. I’ve had the biggest crush on you since I first saw you sweeping the floors of the firehall.”

He leaned back and raised an eyebrow. “You were what? Ten?”

She sniffed haughtily. “I was a worldly twelve, thank you very much.”

Mitch chuckled. “And I was a clueless fourteen-year-old boy desperately looking for something to anchor me.” She knew Mitch’s dad had disappeared before he was born. His mom worked hard, but her jobs left Mitch to his own devices more often than not. “And you found it.”

Mitch nodded. “When I came back from college to join the crew, I about passed out when you walked into the station. All grown up and sexy as hell.”

Bella rolled her eyes. “Right. You thought of me as Christo’s pesky little sister.”

“I was supposed to think of you that way. I tried damned hard to think of you that way. It never quite worked the way it was supposed to.”

She leaned back to study him. “Really?”

He nodded. “The Chief had given me desperately needed work. He’d given me guidance. A job. A purpose. There was no way he’d want to know about the thoughts running through my head when I looked at you. He’d have kicked me to the curb in a heartbeat.”

Bella sighed. “Honestly, I don’t think he would have cared much either way. He most certainly wasn’t an over-protective father.”

Mitch brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “He’s a hard man to figure out. But let’s kick him out of our thoughts for now. I’ve got much better things to think about.”

And then his lips captured hers again.

Mitch wanted to lay Isabella back down on the dock and explore every inch, every curve, every taste.

But he didn’t. Couldn’t. Not yet.

He didn’t want her to have a single regret, so he’d take it slow. Make sure she wanted it as much as he did. Make sure he wasn’t going to hurt her again.

He slowed the kiss and kept his hands away from places they itched to touch. He drew in a couple of deep breaths before he spoke. “Hungry?”

She nodded even while she brushed her fingers over her lips. Savoring the kiss?

To make himself slow things down, he popped up to his feet and then extended his hand to help her up. When she stood, she reached up to kiss him lightly and he pulled her into a hug. With an effort, he kept his hands from roaming and simply enjoyed the feel of her snuggled into him.

They walked back to the lodge, holding hands and not talking much. Mitch was content to let the day unwind and their feelings settle.

Two of the three dogs he’d met yesterday bounded over to them, circling and wagging. Isabella squatted down and let them love all over her.

And he was jealous of dogs.

Aisling and Graham appeared from the other side of the lake and the dogs shot back to them as if they’d been separated for years, reminding him of his own actions with Isabella. The thought made him grin.

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